


Tales of Crown Burger

by tsukibeam



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Outsider Perspective, and blink-and-you-miss-it promptis, because they deserve it, chapter three angst, fluffy good times, this is probably crack, workplace shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2018-11-22 20:58:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11388273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsukibeam/pseuds/tsukibeam
Summary: Prompto and Noctis are the best friend coworkers everyone hopes aren't scheduled to work together. But they are, and often. Sometimes they behave but that doesn't make the lives around them much better, however.Or, that time Noctis got a part time job with Prompto and everyone else suffered.





	1. Audra

Audra was a simple girl with a simple job at a shoe store. It wasn’t much, stocking shelves of shoes day in a day out, but it was enough to pay her rent while she took classes at the local university.

Audra expected the day to unfold like any other: morning classes, followed by a quick stop at one of the many fast food joints for her lunch before her afternoon shift, and then a late night studying for her thesis.

She certainly did not expect to walk in Crown Burger, her chosen poison for that day, to find the grill on fire.

Not the typical sort of sputter of flame when the grease from a burger patty ignited for a second. No, it was two feet of hellfire engulfing the entirety of the grill. She half expected the fire alarm to be blaring, because that’s what they existed for, but then Crown Burger wasn’t exactly known for its up-to-date and functional systems.

“Um,” she said, frozen in the glass door way. As was the way with fast food buildings, the door was heavy and closed fast on her ass, painfully shoving her further into the shop. “Um. Should I call the fire department?”

An obvious question, but then the two guys standing before the grill-- holding a fire extinguisher between the two of them-- weren’t in that process, so she felt the need to ask.

Chocobo (not his real name, obviously, but she could never remember his real name and, let’s honest, his hair was chocobo fluff) and the other guy, black haired and vaguely familiar, turned toward her.

Chocobo’s face lit up in a beam that rivaled the fire beside him. “Hey, Audra!” (Okay, she felt a bit guilty that he remembered _her_ name.) “Be with you in a sec!”

She severely doubted that, given the state of the grill, but she still nodded and the movement must have jogged her brain because it finally clicked as to why the black haired guy was so familiar.

The flames on the grill suddenly lost their fear inducing awe in the presence of the Crown Fucking Prince of Lucis(™). And with her, a customer, properly greeted, he and Chocobo went back to what had clearly been an argument over the fire extinguisher.

“Come on, Noct, it can’t be that hard,” Chocobo said to the crown prince, who apparently went by _Noct_. Cool. “Ignis must have taught you how to use one of these with all the other Keeping Noct Alive shit he does.”

“Okay, Prompto, I’ll tell him you think he’s slacking,” Noctis said, rolling his eyes. “He’ll love that.”

“Dude,” Prompto (good, a name at last) said, dropping his side of the extinguisher, eyes now filled with the terror the fire did not incite. “Do _not_ do that.”

Prince Noctis didn’t seem to appreciate being saddled with the entire weight of the extinguisher, nor did he look thrilled at his flippant idea either.

Audra made a mental note not to cross this Ignis person, especially now that the prince worked(???) at Crown Burger...she squinted. Yes, Prince Noctis was definitely wearing a gray Crown Burger apron with a silver name tag with _Noctis_ scribbled in black.

“Maybe you should call Ignis now,” Audra helpfully suggested and they looked back at her. “Since he keeps you alive the rest of the time.” They blinked at her and she made a vague gesture at the flames behind them.

“Audra,” Prompto said, looking pained, “that’s a worse idea than your Cinnaspiras with _ketchup_ dessert combo.”

“ _Excuse me_ ,” Audra flushed because who wanted their bad tastes revealed to the Crown Prince, and also because Prompto remembered that as well, “that’s a guilty pleasure for a reason.”

“Can you work this thing,” Noctis deigned to ask her and she flushed again, shaking her head as her mouth snapped closed. She wasn’t sure what it said about the prince for the fact that he couldn’t operate a fire extinguisher but then, neither could she, so the thought was moot.

“Where’s Gladio?” Prompto craned his neck to look past Noctis. “Isn’t he your shield? This is go time for him.”

Noctis cast a dismissive look behind Audra. “Dunno. Probably across the street laughing his ass off. Waiting for the flames to reach the ceiling or something.”

“Dude, we _can’t_ wait that long, pretty sure corporate will notice.”

“Maybe you should turn off the grill,” Audra suggested, not that that would help her. She had, checking her watch quickly, about twenty minutes to get her lunch, eat, and get to work.

Prompto and Noctis suddenly looked sheepish. “Er,” Prompto began. “We did. It’s, uh, a magic fire. So, you know.”

Audra, being a simple shoe saleswoman, did not know and so she raised both brows and waited for the rest of the story but apparently she was destined to be left ignorant.

She probably should have left as soon as she walked through the door but, well, this was the kind of situation that begged to be seen through. She was also only sixty percent sure that walking out would be considered treason considering it was the Crown Prince standing in front of a magical grill fire. She was committed now.

“Well,” she said as the flames now licked the metal range hood. “Your lunch rush is starting soon and I have a shift in, uh, fifteen minutes. So could you maybe, I dunno, magic it again?”

Noctis lowered the extinguisher with a thoughtful look while Prompto snapped his fingers. “Audra, you’re a genius.”

Prince Noctis nodded in recognition of this fact, though it was followed by a sigh. “Dad is going to kill me when he finds out.”

Audra’s brain had the decency to register that the ‘Dad’ in this context referred to King Fucking Regis(™) but somehow it did not short circuit on that, nor when Noctis produced a little flask of shimmering ice from _nowhere_ and doused it on the fire. Weirdly enough, though, it paled in comparison to what the past five minutes had been, which was probably why she asked her next question.

“Do you think you could put in a good word for me? You know, since I basically saved your life? Student loans and all.”

It was an effort to reign in her calm when Noctis actually looked like he was considering it.

The downside of her solution was that the grill, and the charred remains of what had been cooking on it, were now frozen. So when Prompto manned the register she ordered some Crown Nuggets, even though they were her least favorite thing on the menu, and some fries, because she was starving and she needed _something_.

Audra told herself it was a privilege that Noctis, with some instruction from Prompto, made her food (“don’t use a fucking fire spell this time, dumbass”), but she was mostly just happy to make it to her shift on time.

And as she left, she turned to thank the two guys, though they were now ignoring her. It seemed completely mundane, after what she had walked in on, to see Prompto direct heart filled eyes to the Crown Prince--the same prince he had actually, really, called a dumbass five minutes prior--and sigh, calling him his hero for saving the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I basically picture these two as a more articulate Bevis and Butthead. Crown Burger beware.  
> \- “I can totally heat up this grill faster,” Noct probably said before releasing a fire spell like an idiot.   
> \- Noctis totally did have Regis pay her student loans.  
> \- Crown Burger now has mandatory fire extinguisher training because of these two idiots (who apparently can’t read picture instructions).


	2. Portia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis, accidental cock-blocker. 
> 
> Not everyone is as charmed by him as he thinks they are.

Portia eyed the girl standing third in line through her lashes, though careful not to miscount her current customer’s change.

It was Friday night, Portia’s favorite night of the week. The atmosphere created by the impending weekend, the palpable excitement shared by practically everyone who resided in Insomnia, was addicting.

Sure, she might have to return to this dinky little fast food joint--that qualified as neither restaurant nor _establishment_ \--the very next evening _but_ that didn’t matter. Because for now, she had an hour left on her shift and a morning free of classes, which meant a morning of sleeping.

After she found a date for that night, that is.

An hour left to go, and the girl standing third in line looked inviting. That is to say, she wasn’t settled into a pair of stay-at-home sweatpants and her hair was curled into loose waves. More telling, she had stuffed her phone into her purse as she walked through the door and locked eyes with Portia.

Thankfully, the second guy in line only wanted a milkshake so before she knew it, the girl third in line became first, and sweet Six, she was prettier up close with emerald eyes, and a little knowing smile directed right at Portia.

Portia opened her mouth, prepped herself for her flirtiest _how may I help you_ , when two nightmares crashed out from the back room.

Prince Noctis, hard working part time burger technician, balanced a sleeve of paper cups on his shoulder while his partner in crime, Prompto Argentum and human chocobo followed him, sipping a caramel tea.

Portia’s eye twitched. They didn’t even _serve_ that and--

“Hey Noct. I bet you could warp with a fry.”

Oh sweet Glacial tits.

Noctis looked thoughtful as he set down the sleeve of cups on the counter behind Portia. “Probably could.”

As Prompto skipped into the back for a cup of fries that was definitely _for the customers_ , the girl in line looked at Noct, and Portia watched as fucking stars filled them.

“Is that...Prince Noctis,” she breathed. Portia’s eye twitched again. Prompto burst back into the front.

As if to answer the girl’s question himself, Noctis plucked a single fry from Prompto’s cup, weighed it in his hand as if it were a sword worthy of his great house, and then threw it straight in Portia’s direction, slightly to the right.

Portia didn’t have time to yelp or scream or basically react because a split second later Noctis disappeared and, in a blue crystallized blur, flew _through_ her and caught the fry with a victorious hand. Prompto cheered and Portia watched in horror as the pretty girl, looking delighted in what was surely the best day of her life, left Portia for Noctis.

Portia watched the girl introduce herself with a cheery smile, fists clenched at her sides. “I’m going to fucking murder him.”

“I’m pretty sure that’d be treason,” Prompto chirped beside her.

Portia didn’t give a flying chocobo what it was. She cast a withering look at Prompto and, since this was basically his fault anyway, reached out a hand and rustled his perfectly styled hair. His indignant squawk wasn’t nearly as satisfying as her night would have been.

It was a lost cause; she watched the girl outright flirt with Noctis despite that fact that he didn’t seem even notice. He twirled the fry in his stupid royal hand, slouching against the counter like a fucking fashion model.

Apparently that minimum effort of interaction was enough for the girl because she left a few minutes later with a large contented smile and her number scribbled on a receipt paper, appetite apparently satisfied from hitting on the prince. Noctis balled up the paper and tossed it out the drive thru window.

Portia melted onto the countertop, head in her arms. “I just want to get _laid_.”

“What about the girl who just came in?” Noctis piped up, obliviousness apparently his fourth name. "You seemed pretty into her."

Portia looked through her fringe to see him pop the fry in his mouth. She sat up, body tense as she reached for the sleeve of cups he abandoned.  She tried her best to imitate that posh retainer of his with a steely glare.

She must have succeeded because Noctis _and_ Prompto froze, which was great because it meant she didn’t miss when she _whapped_ Noctis across the head with the cups. “What _about_ her? You just cock-blocked me!”

Noctis held up his hands in helpless surrender. “I...wait, what?”

Prompto took a loud _slurp_ of his tea.

“ _Every week_ ,” Portia continued, backing him into the drive thru station as she hit him again and again. “Every week, without fail, you cock-block the _shit_ out of me with your perfect princely self and your beautiful princely powers.”

“Uh… _ow_!”

A hand landed on her shoulder and Portia whirled to find Prompto’s annoyingly hopeful smile. “Calm down, Portia. The night is still young! You’ll find someone.”

Portia jabbed a finger at the door, where the girl had disappeared. “But I--she had such pretty _lips_ \--haven’t you ever noticed a pair of lips and just...wanted them?”

Portia swore Prompto’s eyes slipped over to Noctis but it barely lasted a second before he found the ceiling fascinating. “Uh. Yeah. I do, maybe.”

Portia whacked Prompto over his mussed hair. “Then stop being... _you two_.”

“Hey.”

Noctis looked over Portia’s shoulder, relief flooding his stupid perfect features. Portia also looked and found a mountain of a man leaning against the register, smirk spread across his equally perfect (scar included) face. Portia stilled as he slowly swept his eyes over her, up and down.

“I couldn’t help but notice from my watch station,” he jerked a thumb over his shoulder, at the gloomy strip mall outside, “that you have a pretty good sword arm.”

“No. Gladio.” Noctis sounded pained now. Ah, another retainer.

Portia squinted at the man--Gladio. “Are you trying to hit on me?”

Gladio merely straightened and crossed his arms, which allowed his tattooed muscles to stretch taut. Portia cast a quick glance at them. “Have you considered enlisting with the Crownsguard?”

Prompto dropped his drink. Noctis choked.

“And protect _t_ _his_ idiot?” She cast a dubious look at the coughing prince. Prompto rushed to give his back a sound slap. “Hell no.”

“Shame,” Gladio’s eyes did not lose their appraising sparkle. He reached into a pocket of his tight leather pants (Portia’s eyes darted down and then back up, suddenly flushed), and he pulled out a crisp white card. “If you change your mind though, I’m free to talk about it. Tonight, actually.”

“Oh, gross, Gladio.” That earned Noctis another whack. “Not _you_ , _him_. _This_ , that he’s doing."

And Portia stared at _him_. Not her first choice, but there was a confidence in him that suggested she could be in for a fantastic night. Besides, she could do a lot worse. Like what Prompto was apparently pining for...

“You know what!” Portia dropped the cups; they landed with a pathetic _squish_ in Prompto's downed tea. She untied her apron and shoved it in Noctis’s indignant face. “Let’s _talk_. Right now. You assholes owe me.”

Her anger with Noctis faded from righteous rage to a cool simmer as she quickly got her things and then fell into step with Gladio, who shot Noctis a gloating grin. Forty-five minutes to the end of the shift...she glanced up at Gladio. Well, at least Noctis was useful for _something_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> +Noctis and Prompto never cockblocked her again.  
> +Portia did end up enlisting with the Crownsguard.  
> +Of course she survived the fall.  
> +And, idk, I sort of just think Gladio (and Portia) just likes beautiful people; guys, girls, the bros, whatever. He’s confident enough to go around.


	3. Kai

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That time Noctis actually behaved himself and someone actually suffered.
> 
> +TW: mentally abusive relationship and physical violence

The moment Kai learned that Prince Noctis started working at Crown Burger, he submitted several applications to _other_ places.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like the prince, no. The normal, culturally conscious side of Kai was intrigued to share working space with the Prince of Lucis. After all, he was only human, and well, working with the Crown Prince--at a _burger restaurant_ \--what reality was _that_?

But the pragmatic side of him won out because it always did these days, even if it did leave him feeling a bit hollow. Cold. That was a fact of his life though, that emptiness, and it was essential for continuing on with his life.

He needed a new job. It was...that was _his_ reality. Essential.

Because the prince’s reality? That was press. Cameras. Articles. Attention lavished on an insignificant fast food restaurant that would otherwise go unnoticed. The prince enjoyed a good level of privacy but Kai knew that an unglamorous part time job was too good to pass up. It’d be the hottest news for all of two weeks before the Crown City resumed business as usual.

Kai was a rational man; there was no way he could call out of work for two weeks and still expect a job to return to. And even after the press blew over, there would still be the occasional busybody looking for a story to tell their friends, about the time the Crown Prince cooked a burger for them.

It took exactly three weeks for the press to find out about Prince Noctis. Kai, honestly, was impressed it took them so long but that didn’t ease the frozen panic that trickled down his spine the moment he saw the first lens flash.

“You okay?”

At first, Kai didn’t realize Portia was talking to him. No one really spoke to him, just like he didn’t speak to anyone else. It was easier that way; less attachment, less to...hide. But she _was_ talking to him, looking right at him, even with those sharp gray eyes of hers. He looked away, quickly. Looked anywhere _but_ where the flash glinted to fleeting life.

“Fine.” His voice was rough with disuse so the word barely found its way out from his lips. He cleared his throat. “Fine.”

Portia narrowed her eyes, considering, but nodded after a moment and gave him a wry smile. “That’s the fourth camera I’ve seen in the past two days. Pretty soon this place is gonna be famous. Maybe they’ll finally fix the toilet.”

Something in her tone of voice said she found that unlikely but was happy to believe it. Kai gave a soft snort of laughter in response but didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to explain why he would rather the toilet stay funky-broken.

So he went back to his phone, only half bothering to hide it beneath the register in the little shelf crammed with rolls of receipt paper and forgotten packets of ketchup. He searched for applications, anything that would give him a night shift, and filled them out between customers.

At one point he felt Portia eyeing him over his shoulder and his face flushed a deep shade of red when she said, “what, you hate us that much? You’ve only been here a month.”

“I...don’t hate you,” Kai mumbled.

“Well,” Portia said after a moment, pursing her lips. “You don’t talk to us.”

“Sorry,” was the only explanation he could give as he shrank back to his phone.

“Kai, are you--”

Kai was half relieved that Prince Noctis himself walked through the door, apron draped over his shoulder and an baseball hat pulled over his brow. It was enough to distract Portia. Noctis looked vaguely disgruntled which Kai thought was fair for the dismay that flooded through him.

Portia watched Noctis, brow raised coolly but ultimately said nothing. Kai also watched Noctis--not because he was particularly interesting (working with Noctis meant learning he was a giant dork so the mystique was lost almost instantly) but because Noctis was clearly not paying attention to what was in front of him. And how could he, with that hat sitting so slow on his head.

Kai did his best to clear a space for Noctis, flattening himself against the register but Noctis ran clean into him anyway, knocking Kai a few steps back.

“Oh, shit,” Noctis said, looking startled through the shadow of his hat, and reaching out to help Kai steady himself. “Sorry, Kai.”

“It’s cool,” Kai stepped away, looking down at the brown tiled floor, hands shoved deep in his pockets as he took another step back. “I could’ve moved...sorry.”

Noctis blinked and took the hat off, his hand flying through is hair. “What? It’s not your fault.”

Portia’s hand clasped Kai’s arm from behind and he tensed, his eyes still glued to the floor. “Blame the cameras, that’s why he’s wearing that stupid hat. And if they keep any customers away…”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “I doubt anyone would pass up a chance to end up in a tabloid.” Then he squinted at Portia. “I thought you were sleeping with Gladio.”

“What, I can’t have eye candy?”

Noctis made some weird sound and retreated into the back, Portia’s banter following him, while Kai looked out the restaurant, not quite seeing the empty chairs and tables, and a certain cold numbing him.

Tabloids. Maybe any normal person would jump at the chance of their picture appearing in one but Kai? That would ruin him.

-

-

-

It had been two days of cameras outside of Crown Burger and during that time, Kai kept to himself. He tried spending as much time as possible in the back doing odd jobs that no one else cared about and therefore ignored, like cleaning the walk-in freezer.

He went home at the end of his shifts, bone tired. He showered off the smells of fried nuggets and burger grease from his hair and body. He tucked his uniform into a nondescript box under the bed.

He kissed his boyfriend goodnight when he came home from his own shift and kissed him goodbye when he left the next day. He stood in his shared apartment, the living room darkening with the setting sun, and stared at the sparse furniture and decor for an hour before leaving for Crown Burger.

Business as usual, the cycle went.

Until the third day, which found Kai leaning against the counter two hours into his shift. Noctis, Prompto were somewhere in the restaurant, probably playing King’s Knight, while Portia flirted with someone on her phone at the other register.

Someone walked through the door, heavy footsteps thudding against the tile. Kai looked up from his phone, where he had been filling out another application, to greet the new customer. As soon as he locked eyes with him, Kai froze. His entire body, blood and breath instantly turning to ice, and he choked on his words, which turned into a cry as a fist connected with his jaw in a loud crack.

Kai staggered back into the counter, hand clutching his face. He squeezed his eyes shut and slid to the floor, where he curled into himself. He was vaguely aware of his breath coming out in bursts, the overwhelming and throbbing pain, Portia’s phone clattering to the floor beside him.

“Holy _fuck_ ,” she cried, as Kai still gripped his face, his other arm holding the rest of him together. “Noctis, Prompto!”

Kai was vaguely aware of the soda puddles from overflowing cups seeping into his pants. He thought he heard a scramble in the back, and then the back door slapping against the counter as it swung open. He felt small hands on his shoulders.

He heard and felt all of that but they were insignificant compared to the panting of the man behind the counter, his presence filling every sense and overriding any pain he might have felt.

“Who the hell are you,” he heard Portia said while Noctis swore in a very unprincely manner.

“Reed,” Kai breathed, lifting his head. “I’m so sorry.”

“Wait what,” Prompto looked from Kai to Reed.

Reed meanwhile, his face a picture of deadly calm, threw a roll of something on the floor; it landed with a slap, unfurling at Kai’s feet to reveal the garish font of a tabloid. Kai’s eyes widened, his pain ignored as he gaped at a picture of him and Noctis, the prince’s hands on his shoulders. It looked, for all the world, like a tender moment between two friends.

Kai crumbled further into himself as he stared at the picture. Reed scoffed and he released his own curse.

“When were you going to tell me about this,” Reed said, poorly concealed anger in his deep voice. “This job and your princely buddy? What the hell is this, anyway?”

“Not what you think,” Noct helpfully supplied, his voice clipped.

“How is it even your business that Kai has a job,” Portia added.

"My business? He’s my _fucking boyfriend_ ,” Reed snapped. “It is my business, especially when he lies about what he’s been doing all night.”

“I’m sorry,” Kai whispered.

“Maybe he lied because he knew you’d be a fucking dick about it.”

“Talk about business, this isn’t yours. Stay out of it, bitch.”

“Woah, don’t call her that.”

“Get up, Kai, we’re leaving.”

Portia’s hands tightened on Kai’s shoulders as she held him down. “You actually think he’s doing to leave with you? After what you just did?” She looked over at Noctis and Prompto and Kai’s eyes widened as they both stepped between them and Reed.

Kai’s body trembled, even under Portia’s steady hands and she turned and wrapped him into her arms. He was more tense in that moment than in his entire life, stiff as a brick wall, he allowed her to hold him. She whispered in his ear to breathe and he realized he hadn’t taken a solid, deep breath in an eternity. He forced air in his lungs, and as he released it, he uttered the words he only dared to dream.

“I’m staying. We’re done.”

Portia smiled against his hair, where his head was pressed against her shoulder, and she rubbed circles into his back. “Good.”

Three things happened at once. Reed let out a growl that Kai was certain was not human and charged at them, attempting to get around the counter. Kai tensed, but Noctis plucked a straw from beside the soda machine and flung it in Reed’s direction. He disappeared in a burst of blue crystal, only to reappear and tackle Reed into a perfect headlock. A large man, who Kai recognized as Portia’s _buddy_ , burst through the door, only to stop as he assessed the scene before him.

“Couldn’t come earlier,” Noctis grunted over Reed’s muffled curses, and then pressed the Reed’s face harder into the gritty tile floor.

“Knew you had it under control,” Gladio answered and then his eyes flicked over to Kai and Portia. “You okay?”

Portia pulled away slightly to run a quick glance over Kai, silently asking the question herself. Kai nodded and Gladio returned it.

“A medic is on his way,” Gladio said as several other men bustled into the restaurant and extracted Reed from Noctis’s hold.

Reed looked back at Kai as he was being dragged away and Kai quickly looked away from the sneer. All of the times Reed had claimed to love Kai were stripped away with that one single sneer of hatred.

It took several moments for Kai’s brain to catch up. These new men, all dressed in various styles, but all wearing black, were Crownsguard. They were taking Reed away...they were taking Reed away from _him_.

Oh gods, Reed was gone.

Reed was gone.

-

-

-

Portia called their manager and explained everything. A medic came and patched Kai up. Noctis called someone and briskly requested “the spare bedroom” be readied, and hung up. Before Kai knew it, he was ushered in a sports car that was far nicer than he deserved in that moment. They brought him to Noctis’s apartment of all places.

And slowly, over the next few hours, his story came out.

Reed and Kai had dated for three years. It started out wonderful; Kai fell fast and deep and before he knew it they were moving in. If there were warning signs, Kai brushed them off. It was sweet, he told himself, how much attention Reed wanted. He liked being with Reed so he was happy to give it. It was romantic, he told himself, that Reed opted for dates, rather than friend hang outs. It was just his curious and protective nature, he told himself, when Reed would look through his phone and browsing history.

He had a harder time convincing himself these things as his friends, one by one, stopped contacting him. It was easier to give into Reed’s demands, like call out of work and soothe him, than it was resisting because that brought the anger.

But when he lost his job because he kept calling out? When Reed expressed happiness because it meant Kai could spend his days with him before his night shift at the hospital? When Kai would spend his evenings, alone in his apartment, unable to get up from the couch because it was easier to say he did _nothing_ all night? That wasn’t romantic. Kai could only remain empty for so long.

His money was gone, though. His friends, rejected. And his family...shame. He couldn’t face that. But he _could_ try and work around it. So, the job at Crown Burger. Far from the apartment and Reed’s hospital. Closing shifts that paid enough so that one day, Kai could afford the deposit on a new apartment. Get back on his feet. Leave Reed.

He didn’t expect the Crown Prince to also get a job at Crown Burger. He did expect something bad to come from it and tried for weeks to find a new job. And then...everything exploded.

And now he was truly empty. Not enough money for a new apartment. Nowhere to live. No Reed to breathe down his everything. When Kai finally finished his story, the panic finally came. Deep, shuddering sobs and trembles as his body fought for breath and peace.

“Hey,” Noctis said, sounding panicked himself. “Hey, it’s okay. You can stay here until you figure everything out. I owe you, anyway.”

Kai couldn’t even begin to unravel what that meant. It took an hour for him to calm down but, he realized as Noctis, Gladio, and a dusty blonde haired man all patiently sat with him, he wasn’t alone.

-

-

-

Kai woke the next day and immediately regretted that decision. It wasn’t one of those times where he slowly remembered what happened, no. He _dreamed_ about it, about Reed finding him, about living on the street, about negative bank statements and missing job interviews.

So when he awoke, he rolled over and squeezed his eyes shut again. They were crusty and swollen from crying and his back ached for the very same reason. And his cheek...it throbbed lightly and he knew he’d have to avoid the mirror for a few days so he wouldn’t have to see the bruise that had blossomed.

But, he told himself, the bed was fluffy, the sheets soft with a thread count that was higher than his checking account. And the sunlight flooding in through window, with Insomnia far below it...he felt almost...safe.

An hour later, he wandered out of the bedroom, so consciously aware that he was in Prince Noctis’s apartment that he lingered in the hallway for several minutes, wondering if it was actually okay to use the toilet. His bladder won out and when he wasn’t arrested on the spot, he pushed his luck further and padded as quietly as he could into the kitchen.

Prince Noctis was nowhere to be seen, but the same dusty blonde haired man from the night before was, flipping a perfect omelette in a shiney pan, apron tied neatly over his button up shirt. When the man saw him, he paused and then carefully placed the omelette on a white plate and turned the stove burner off.

“Ah, Kai. Good morning,” the man said in a perfect court accent. “I’m afraid His Highness is still asleep but I thought I might have a word with you.”

Kai nodded mutely and lowered himself in a chair at the dining table. The man, who turned out to be called Ignis, sat opposite and pulled out a briefcase and then several papers and a pen. Kai stared at them all, at Ignis’s dignified manner and the black crests sitting importantly on each of the paper’s headers. The state of his face made its presence painfully known.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Ignis said, by way of opening, “but I took the liberty of doing a background check on you during the night. You worked as a daycare teacher before Crown Burger, correct?”

Kai nodded. That job and life seemed so long ago. He barely remembered it.

“Now, given the unfortunate events that took place last night…” Ignis paused and regarded Kai, who quickly looked away. “We, that is Noctis and the Crownsguard, offer our apologies for not stepping in sooner. Noctis, in particular, feels...responsible. For bringing the paparazzi in the end.”

“It’s okay,” Kai croaked out. “He couldn’t have known.”

“It wasn’t your fault either,” Ignis said firmly, yet there was a softness in it was well. “Now, I’m sure that given everything, you are not keen to return to Crown Burger in the near future. Nor are you to return to that man’s apartment.”

Kai bit his lip and nodded, looking down at the polished hard wood floor. The corners of his eyes stung and he braced himself to stand and leave. He had nowhere to go, and he couldn’t stay with Prince Noctis forever. He couldn’t expect--

“The Citadel would like to offer you a position in the castle nursery, effective as soon as you are ready.”

Kai’s eyes snapped up and he gaped at Ignis who remained perfectly calm behind his spotless glasses. “I...what? No. I can’t…”

Ignis was all business as he pulled a clipped bunch of papers off the larger stack and slid it to Kai. “Your previous employers assured us you were a passionate worker whom the children adored though your reliability diminished toward the end. Can I safely assume that was caused by Reed?”

Kai nodded, his shock momentarily overrun by flushing shame.

“Well,” Ignis continued. “I’m happy to report that _he_ won’t be welcome within the Citadel’s walls so your days worrying are over.”

Kai...highly doubted that. But he appreciated the sentiment. Still, “but I just...can’t.”

“If you are worried about becoming dependent, fear not,” Ignis smoothly cut in again. “Full time Citadel employees qualify for housing benefits--either within the Citadel or in the form of a housing allowance, should you choose to live outside its walls. That leaves a large sum of your salary to do with as you please. A savings account, for example.”

Kai’s mind short circuited with the possibilities but he couldn’t even face his parents...how could he live with himself he just...It wasn’t supposed to be this easy. Falling in love with Reed was easier. “I can’t accept hand outs.”

Ignis tilted his head and regarded him, his neat brows pulled together, though there was no unkindness in the expression. After a moment he said, “there is no shame in accepting help. Nor in asking. As it is, I am in that very business, albeit to one person. And that person feels an obligation to help you.”

“So you’re only doing this on his orders. I’m a charity case.”

“No,” Ignis said. “Noctis has the means to offer aid and I am the facilitator, yes. But Noct’s compassion is all his own and I suspect that he knows all too well that sometimes, people’s circumstances are not within their control. He would like to extend some of that control back to you after his own attempt, his employment with Crown Burger, indirectly caused you physical and emotional distress.”

Kai’s eyes wandered over to the hallway where Noctis’s room lay beyond. The fact that Prince Noctis felt responsible for Reed’s attack boggled Kai’s mind. It seemed wrong; they were both simply there by coincidence, and it was hardly Noctis’s fault that Reed was...Reed. None of them could have known...they didn’t _because_ Kai kept to himself. If he had just _told_ someone…

Ignis placed a hand on Kai’s arm and he snapped back to him. Ignis offered him a small smile and then slid a crisp white card forward. “None of this is your fault. Please, think about it, and when you are ready to make a formal decision, you need only call.”

-

-

-

Noctis, when he awoke and devoured the omelette Ignis had prepared (which was the _best_ omelette of Kai’s life), told Kai to he was welcome to stay as long as he needed. And Kai, not knowing how long that would be, found himself playing with the card Ignis gave him, the sharp edges digging into his fingertips as he turned it over and over.

He had the card two days later when he went back to Crown Burger for another shift. Portia took one look at Kai and offered to cover any shifts for him but he waved her off. He couldn’t stand sitting around Prince Noctis’s apartment all day; the change in scenery, normal and slightly dingy, was a weird comfort. Familiar, despite the shit show that had happened a few days before.

Kai balanced the card on a corner between his finger and the sticky counter as he leaned against the register. All of the edges had worn down to soft nubs from all the hours of doing this.

“Hey Kai,” Prompto cheerfully greeted him as he barged out of the back room, and stretched his long arms over his head. “How are you doing?”

The question was tentative, as if Prompto was treading light, avoiding the elephant in the restaurant. Kai shrugged and stared at the card. He had memorized the number and address on it within hours of receiving it.

“Still haven’t called?”

Noctis, it seemed, had told Prompto which was probably fair since the blonde was the prince’s  best friend. Kai shook his head. And then, simply because he had no excuse to not talk to his co workers said, “it just feels weird. Benefitting from someone who I don’t really know. I feel like I’m cheating.”

“Dude,” Prompto came into his line of vision as he leaned against the counter beside Kai. “I feel that way all the time, and I actually _know_ Noct.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” Prompto smiled, smaller than usual, but no less bright. A private smile for whatever thoughts were running through his head. “It feels like a dream. Sometimes it’s like it’s always been this way, being his friend. But then sometimes I remember the before and I just...get giddy, you know? But giving this up? No way, I’ll do whatever I can to keep this feeling.”

Kai barely remembered his own Before, working with the children at the daycare. Like when Ignis mentioned it, it felt so long ago, but sometimes, in his own dreams, he remembered their laughter. He remembered his own. And Prompto’s smile...gods, how he wanted that again. His own dream to be his reality.

Kai swallowed the huge lump that had formed whenever and flattened the card on the counter and took out his phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Kai’s story is my own. Except I went off to teach children in Japan, not an austere castle. I won’t apologize for the length because this was my first time writing about it and the process was surprisingly cathartic.  
> -This can’t be said enough: If you are in a relationship that bears any semblance to Kai’s, please know that you’re not alone. It’s okay to accept help or ask for it. It’s up to you to take that first step towards independence but it’s so worth it.  
> \- I like to think that Kai flourished in the Citadel and led as many children to safety as he could after the Fall.
> 
> -ps, you can find me on tumblr: @tsukibeamfics pls talk to me about cute boys (promptis) they are my life now


	4. Janus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In a way, we're all either a Janus or an Audra...

Janus was _tired_. Like, bone deep, soul etched, _tired_. The kind where no amount of Ebony or quick afternoon nap (not that he had _time_ for that with midterms and two jobs) could ease.

No, instead it was him at his mirror, scrutinizing the dark bags under his eyes that would _not_ go away, no matter how much concealer he heaped on. Him at his mirror, trying and failing to ignore how drained he felt. Him at his mirror telling himself that sure, he looked like shit, but his shift at Crown Burger was coming up and he had to _go_.

Janus told himself that it wouldn’t be so bad. That it was only burgers and shitty milkshakes so it wasn’t like his brain power would be over extended. In the end it was just a paycheck.

And...when he walked into the restaurant, he was hit with the one bright spot of the shitty job.  

Prompto Argentum looked up from where he was ringing up a customer and beamed his bright smile at Janus, who went a little weak in the knees because, _man_ , that _smile_. “Hey, Janus!”

It almost wasn’t fair; Janus was expecting it, came to work _for_ it, but to have it thrown at him the second he walked through the door just...his stomach did a million flips and he made some weird choked response before fleeing in the back to clock in.

Okay, some back story.

At this point, Janus didn’t _really_ need to work at Crown Burger. He would do just _fine_ with his other job at the local library. It’d be tight, and he’d have to cut back on his Ebony intake and probably live on Cup Noodle one or two nights a week, but he’d make it. It’d be _fine_.

The only reason why he stayed at Crown Burger? Prompto Argentum.

The reason why he had to go to _Crown Burger_ to see him and not, say, a date or whatever? Well, there were a couple reasons. One being the fact that Janus could barely manage more than three words to him. It was tragic. Pathetically tragic.

The other reason? Noctis Lucis Caelum, Crown Prince of Lucis, undisputed best friend of Prompto.

Janus stayed in the back long enough to recover a small shred of his dignity and then grabbed an excuse to not work behind the counter with Prompto (a broom) and went back out.

Prompto and Noctis leaned against the counter, smashing the screens of their phones and throwing some light blasphemy at no existing person (“suck on Titan’s giant dick, asshole, _don’t kill meeee_ ”). The cry of despair released when Prompto’s character presumably died was absolute.

Noctis gave Prompto a light shove with the entire left side of his body but didn’t retreat back into his own space and said, “Prom, hurry the fuck up, I need backup.” From the high pitched sound Prompto made, he probably was indeed hurrying from the spawn point to the battle location.

Janus sighed and gave the floor a particularly forceful sweep of his broom.

Noctis still hadn’t moved away from Prompto; the two instead let off little jerking movements as they struggled against whatever adversary kicked their asses. Janus didn’t need to be behind the counter to know they were absentmindedly kicking at each other, silently urging the other to get his shit together and kill the goddamn boss.

A moment later, they both slumped over the counter, heads in a tangle of arms, and glared halfheartedly at each other for their respective failure. Prompto stuck his tongue out at Noctis.

Janus sighed again, something squeezing inside him, and swept at the area around a customer, a regular who worked at the shoe store in the strip mall beside Crown Burger.

“Do they know they’re dating yet,” Audra said after she took a loud slurp from her soda.

Janus made a noncommittal sound but stopped sweeping and dropped into the seat opposite Audra. “The betting pool is still open, so no.”

Of course there was a pool among the his coworkers. The two were so gross together, so obviously smitten, that it was only a matter of time before they figured it out. And they _had_ to figure it out because those were honest to god _giggles_ emitting from them both.

Audra titled her head, shaking it a bit in that bewildered reverence she had from day one of Noctis’s employment. “Do you think the King giggles like that? I mean, just imagine, deep in the Citadel. _Giggles_.”

Janus snorted. “I’d rather not, thanks.”

But the image was planted in Janus’s head, whether he wanted it or not, and he caught Audra’s eye and, well, their own giggles emerged. It was a welcome distraction though it doesn’t last for long because Prompto was holding his phone up and angled down at him and Noctis.

Noctis slung an arm around his shoulders and drew forward until the two were standing flush against each other.

“ _Noooct_ ,” Prompto whined when Noctis bunched his noble features into a decidedly undignified manner. “No duck face.” And when Noctis kept doing it, Prompto’s hand came around and pinched at the prince’s side.

“More importantly,” Audra watched, stirring her drink with the straw, brow quirked when Noctis let out a yelp but settled his face into a fond smile directed straight at Prompto. “Do they know they’re in love with each other?”

Janus went straight into a coughing fit, right as Prompto snapped his selfie, same sick happy smile spread wide over his own face. It was probably a lovely picture, two boyfriends goofing around at work in perfect bliss.

Except they weren’t boyfriends. They were oblivious best friends driving Janus up the wall because _fuck_. Prompto was just so fucking pretty and delightful and a beam of sunshine.

“Are you okay, Janus?” Prompto’s cheerfully worried voice (because if anyone was capable of that combination, it was Prompto) sent a pang through Janus.

Janus sent Prompto a thumbs up and then buried his (probably spectacularly red) face in his arms. A moment later he heard Audra pull her chair closer to Janus and felt her hand pat his back. Her voice was soft.

“How long have _you_ loved Prompto?”

Janus made a noise, followed by a vague movement that almost resembled a shrug. Instead he said, “they’re so goddamn perfect together,” his voice a muffled lament.

“He doesn’t seem your type,” was Audra’s helpful reply. “I thought you liked library types.”

“Get him to smile at you,” Janus turned his head and frowned at her, “see how you feel after that.”

“I’m ace,” Audra winked. “The only effect it’d have on me is friendship. Because I can actually talk to him.”

It was a friendly jab, he knew, by the way she leaned in close with a teasing smile. Janus rolled his eyes because there was nothing else he could do to counter it. It was so stupidly true. He looked back over to see that Prompto and Noctis were watching now watching a video on the prince’s phone, their heads bent close enough that Janus knew they were sharing breath.

A flush had crept over Prompto’s cheeks and freckles and he snuck a glance every now and then at Noctis who of course did the same. Of course they never met each other’s eyes because they both looked away at exactly the wrong moment.

Audra sighed and glanced at her watch. “As much as I’d like to watch this disaster, I gotta get back to work.”

Janus watched the way Noctis dipped his head on Prompto’s shoulder, the way the blonde’s cheeks flushed a bit more. It was so sweet that Janus could feel his teeth rotting. “Take me with you.”

Audra, who had gathered her stuff and thrown away her trash (she was a favorite regular), regarded him and shook her head. “No. You should quit. Today. And get a good night’s sleep. Go after that library job at the Citadel.”

Ah, the library job at the Citadel. The Dream Job. Salary, benefits, access to royal archives and histories. It made his local library job look provincial with its gleaming black columns and vaulted ceilings and, uh, _impressive_ uniformed guards.

“I’m not finished with my degree,” Janus mumbled, now making gross little swirls in the salt left on the table, “and I’d need a _hell_ of a recommendation letter.”

Audra blinked, delivered a swift kick to Janus, and glanced pointedly at Noctis (who was dozing on Prompto’s shoulder while the blonde attempted to ring up a poor customer). Audra gave Janus another soft pat on the shoulder.

“I’m not saying give up. But, you know. You don’t want to be miserable. Or waste your potential _here_.”

-

-

-

 

Two hours later, at the end of their dinner rush and after Noctis’s shift had ended and was whisked away in a sleek black car, Janus had taken over the counter. A textbook, notebook and can of Ebony were stationed around the register, with Janus himself tapping a pen to his chin.

This was, admittedly, the beauty of Crown Burger, the one advantage over the library: his managers didn’t give a shit if he did his assignments during the slower bits of the day. It wasn’t like a studious graduate student could sully the restaurant’s reputation, after all.

 

The problem was this, has been since Janus woke up: he was fucking _tired_ . He really, absolutely did not want to deal with _bibliographical control in relation to fan made products_. His soul recoiled and when it did that he reached for the Ebony can and took a swig. But of course the Ebony ran out and soon he was dozing off against the register.

“Hey, Janus!”

Something slapped down on the counter in front of him and Janus jerked awake, eyes snapping first to the fresh cup of coffee on the counter and then to Prompto’s blue eyes.

“Uh,” Janus says, out of all the other vocabulary he possessed.

Prompto slumped against the counter across from Janus and crossed his arms. He looked worried, squinting at him. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Uh…”

“Cause, like,” Prompto hoisted himself up on the counter and produced a box of Crown Nuggets and popped one in. “You’re like Noct, always tired, and you don’t really talk to any of us and you always seem to be choking…”

Janus _flushed_ , his mouth dropped open because, oh _hell_ , Prompto noticed. And then he sighed. Pinched his brow. “I like you?”

The words just tumbled out. And Janus froze. Like Shiva graced him with her presence with a chair and popcorn. Janus was close enough to make out Prompto’s freckles, constellations of them, and how they seemed to blend so smoothly with the pink of his own flush. Absolutely lovely.

Janus shook his head again. He thought, briefly at what Audra had said. About the thousands of selfies Noctis and Prompto had no doubt taken in their few years of friendship. About the little smile Prompto always had but the way it softened just _ever so slightly_ for Noctis. Every shove he witnessed and every boss defeated together.

And Janus smiled because Audra was right. He wasn’t miserable _now_ because it was clear, even if it wasn’t to those two idiots yet, that they were happy together.

“I...uh. Um...but you…” Poor Prompto. Janus knew the feeling.

“Don’t worry,” he turned away and picked up the cup of coffee Prompto had made for him and downed a large gulp. “I won’t get in the way of...uh, your happiness.”

Janus bit his lip before he could spill _that_ particular bean. Loathe as he was to bet on it, he was in line to win a few hundred if Prompto and Noctis kept a lid on their feelings for just another month…

“You could have asked me out,” Prompto finally got out, trying very hard to look outraged through his shock.

Janus snorted. “What a waste of a date that would have been,” and he dared a look at Prompto, let him weaken his knees and send a rush through him once more, “when you’re clearly not interested.” He smiled to let Prompto know he didn’t hold it against him.

But Prompto squinted. “Noctis?”

Janus’s eyes widened and thought, _finally_ , a breakthrough, but caught how Prompto wasn’t staring at him but beyond him. At the side diner door, where said prince was now barging through, tall man trailing behind him.

“Forgot my wallet,” Noctis rushed through the diner and behind the counter, skidding to a stop when he saw a red faced Prompto. “You okay?”

Prompto let out a squeak and nodded wordlessly. Noctis stared and then shrugged and disappeared into the back. Janus, meanwhile, took in the man who had come in with Noctis. If he thought Prompto was pretty, well…

Tall, ashy blonde hair, perfectly tailored black and gray suit, a cool continence as he regarded Crown Burger in all its shabby glory. His gloved hands were rigid at his sides, as if he were resisting the urge to swipe at a table to discover the extent of its filth. He caught Janus’s eye and, _fuck_ , not again.

Janus straightened under the power of that mint colored stare. “I don’t think I’ve met you.” He stuck out a hand and the man’s elegant brow quirked. “Janus Notitia.”

Janus’s hand was taken in the man’s gloved one. “Ignis Scientia, his highness’s chamberlain.”

For a brief second, Janus wondered at how weird that was, to refer to Noctis as _his highness_ when all the guy did was get into fry sword fights with his best friend, steal milkshakes, and refuse to cut any sort of vegetable. But hey, the guy also had the most _beautiful_ friends, so it was probably worth it.

Janus smiled at Ignis, suddenly not as tired as he was ten minutes ago. In fact, he felt alive, with a lovely fluttering in his blood and stomach as he let go of Ignis’s hand.

Noctis rushed back out and held up his wallet triumphantly. “Found it. Let’s go, Specs.”

And as Ignis nodded at both Noctis and Janus, Janus sucked in a breath. “Hey, Noctis. Can you do me a favor?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Noctis wrote a totally bitchin' letter of recommendation for Janus.  
> \- As per the Blessing of Crown Burger, bestowed on them the day Noctis scrawled his signature onto his employment agreement, Janus got the job at the Royal Lucian Library.  
> -He totally woo’d the pants off Ignis. 
> 
> Right, so this whole fic has been ‘blink and you miss it Promptis’ but I’ve accidentally stumbled on what I guess can be passed as a plot so now we’ve moving into ‘in your face Promptis’. I didn’t think anyone would mind. 
> 
> Come chat with me about these two idiots on Tumblr @tsukibeamfics!


	5. Thea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thea is my spirit animal. No suffering this time, just happy ending fluff^^

If Thea had a dating app, her profile would probably read something like _I once sat on Prince Noctis’s ice cream cone and it dribbled down my pants in white globs and I was forced to wiped it up with my economics homework because I didn’t have any napkins_ , _no guarantees for your ice cream’s safety_.

Thea was sort of a mess, proud and confirmed, just getting through life, one flat surface trip and poorly timed dick joke at a time. She didn’t mind, though. Rather, it was entertaining at least.

After all, who in Lucis could sit on the Crown Prince’s ice cream and _still_ face him everyday at work and _laugh_?

The answer to that was her other co-worker, Prompto Argentum. Okay, he wasn’t as clumsy awkward as Thea but he did have his moments, most of them around Noctis, and they were best friends. And no matter _what_ Portia said, Crown Burger was a great place to work at because of those two guys.

Except for, well, the times where it wasn’t, but that was mostly Portia being affected, not Thea, so she couldn’t complain.

She should have been careful, should have watched out for some sort of sign or something. At least then she could have been prepared but, alas, Thea’s obliviousness was just part of her charm.

Crown Burger was completely dead that Tuesday night; it was only fifteen minutes before the end of her shift and she was rushing around, finishing the small mundane tasks that everyone else would probably be too lazy to do, like refill the cups in the front counter dispenser.

Unfortunately for Thea, and as per her _life_ , someone had brilliantly decided to stock the cups in the very back of the storage room, on the very top shelf. There were boxes too, stacked all unevenly and totally in her way, because someone actually _was_ too lazy to unload them.

The cups are sort of, kind of, not really at all in her reach as she stood on the ladder. Her fingers brushed the plastic a few times before she finally got a grip but they didn’t move when she pulled. She pulled a few times, the sleeve barely moving an inch, the ladder tittering forward.

Thea knew in her soul what was coming, and when it _did_ , the ladder tipping a bit too far, her weight following, she could only let a resigned, “it’s happening…” before falling face first into the boxes.

The boxes did not cushion the fall. Their corners dug in wherever she touched them, and when she was done groaning and cursing the six, she let her head fall back into another box. Three sleeves of cups, all large and _not_ the ones she needed, fell on top of her.

She stared at the flickering florescent light above her and just...shook her head “Of course,” she giggled, and then pulled out her phone because well, now she was going to be late meeting Audra, and she needed evidence of this latest, literal mess.

 _Surprise,_ she typed to Audra with the selfie, giggling some more.

That done, she made to extract herself from the boxes but stopped when the storage room opened, and another mess spilled in, specifically in the forms of Prince Noctis and Prompto.

Thea immediately froze. In any other situation, if it had been anyone _other_ than these two, or if they were alone, she would have asked for help. But it wasn’t any of that--it was Noctis _and_ Prompto, and they were alone in this mostly dark storage room. The real kicker was that Noctis wasn’t scheduled to work today. So. _Interesting_.

Thea couldn’t see much between the dusty shelves and--oh, _gross,_ was that a petrified nugget.

What she did see was this: Prompto edging away from Noctis and eyeing the closed door that Noctis was clearly guarding.

“Noctis, what the hell?” Prompto sounded surprised and just a bit hesitant.

“You’re avoiding me.” And Noctis sounded tired and...hurt.

 _Oh my god_ , Thea thought to herself.

“I am not,” Prompto replied, after a small pause, and not at all convincingly.

Noctis let out a sigh, like he was expecting it, and in a monotone that still managed to be worried said, “you take _forever_ to respond to my messages, you’ve been taking extra shifts you don’t need, you haven’t been over in a week. Dude. What’s up.”

“...Nothing.”

“Clearly _that’s_ a lie. C’mon, you’re killing me here.” Noctis definitely _sounded_ that way, hurt and looking very much like he was holding himself back.

Thea felt ice trickle down her back and settle in her stomach. _No way_. Were they breaking up before they even started dating?

“I...Fuck.” Prompto shuffled on his feet and, oh Thea’s back was killing her for trying to get a good look, “Janus said he likes me.”

Oh _no_. She lifted her phone, to send a fiery message to her former coworker for _ruining_ this for the two--but she froze again when Noctis sucked in a breath.

“...oh...then. You’re just too _busy_. Okay.”

Prompto took a step forward, fast, a hand outstretched, and he looked _desperate_ for Noctis to understand. “What? No! _I_ don’t like him.”

“...I’m not following.

Thea was a thousand percent aware of the digging pain in her arm, just a few inches from the top of her shoulders, very _painfully_ going deeper in her skin but she _did not dare move_. She didn’t even want to breathe too hard because the _look_ Prompto had was--that was longing, she was sure. And it was directed at Noctis.

Her phone lit up from where it lay on her stomach and her eyes widened as she very, very carefully picked it up and checked it, one eye still on Prompto.

 _Where are you? I’m outside_ , Audra had messaged her.

 _Watching my dreams come true_ , Thea replied, and turned her attention fully back to Prompto.

Prompto and Noctis hooking up were not actually her dreams but they were directly connected in a way. There was a running bet among the Crown Burger employees for when the two would _finally_ realize their feelings. Portia was favored to win because she firmly believed they wouldn’t figure it out before the winter solstice, and it seemed that way too. Thea, however, believed it would be by the end of the month, which was a mere three days away.

If Noctis and Prompto hooked up _now_ , well...the money wasn’t much, but it _was_ enough to cover the student visa fee for her study abroad year in Altissia. Her entire program depended on this. Her future.

So. Thea held her breath. And with the petrified nugget in her peripheral, and the flickering light above them all casting weird shadows on everything, Thea watched Prompto screw up some kind of courage that...wasn’t the empowered _go get the boy_ kind. He looked broken, a little, the way he bit his lip and his brow furrowed.

“Janus left to work at the Citadel to get away from me,” he started, voice low, “because, like, he thought he couldn’t be with me. He cut ties and moved on.”

Noctis squinted at Prompto. “Okay--what does that have to do--oh.” He took a step forward; he looked _shocked_ . “Prom. _What_?”

“I mean,” Prompto barreled on, barely even looking at Noctis. “You’re the Crown Prince and I know you’re busy. You have this whole great duty and I just...don’t belong.”

“Prom…”

“So. You know, maybe I should take a page outta Janus’s book and just…I don’t stand a chance.”

 _This could not be happening_. Regret filled Thea, the kind where she questioned all of her life’s decisions that brought her to his moment. She shouldn’t be here. And gods, it was way too late to dip out, she was in too deep and--

Thea’s mouth dropped open. She was pretty sure her spirit left her body because it was like an out of body experience as she watched Crown fucking Prince Noctis launch himself at Prompto and pull him into a deep kiss. The kind where one hand buried itself into his hair, and then the other clasped the back of his neck.

Prompto made a sound, surprise, while Thea held back on her own delight. Audra messaged her again but it was so low on Thea’s priority list that she outright ignored it. Because Prompto remembered his body; his own arms worked their way around Noctis and just held him with trembling arms.

Noctis broke away, rested his forehead on Prompto’s. Thea couldn’t really see, couldn’t really hear the words he whispered, but she was pretty sure it had something to do with _so wrong_ and _love_ . And Prompto just _melted_ against Noctis.

It was...well, Thea felt lucky to have witnessed it. It was beautiful and the two deserved each other; they were perfect together. Thea couldn’t _wait_ to gush about this to Prompto later. But...first thing was first…

As the two boys went in for another kiss, Thea angled her phone at them, away from the gross nugget, and snapped a picture. _Pay up, bitches_ , she sent to the Crown Burger group chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> +Thea went to Altissia, learned about international relations and became a diplomat at the Citadel.  
> ++She and the other former employees also at the Citadel (plus Audra) would all get together for drinks occasionally.  
> +++When Thea learned that Noctis disappeared, she dropped everything and went to find Prompto to make sure he was okay.
> 
> Thanks for reading this humble little story, everyone! It was super fun to write and I’m sad to leave this dumb cast of characters. Find me on Tumblr at tsukibeamfics!


End file.
